


A Day Off

by AddisonNoxy



Series: Agents of the New Squidbeak Splatoon [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Friendship, Gen, I will never get tired of writing Octoling dialogue, Sharing Emotions, all three agents are female
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:42:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26853139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AddisonNoxy/pseuds/AddisonNoxy
Summary: For the first time ever, all three active-duty agents are sharing a day off. Four is thrilled, wanting to make the most of the day, but things don't always go as planned.
Series: Agents of the New Squidbeak Splatoon [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970149
Comments: 3
Kudos: 44





	A Day Off

Agent 4 couldn’t remember a single time, since Agent 8 had joined the Splatoon, that all three active agents had been given an off-duty day. Callie and Marie had full-time careers that they were barely able to manage without Three, Four and Eight picking up the slack, and Captain Cuttlefish was a well-meaning old coot who nevertheless didn’t have much to contribute to active Splatoon duties besides “delegation”. The result was that, one way or another, at least two of them were almost always on patrol, or surveying Cuttlefish Cabin, or doing _something_ other than chilling out and kicking it.

But wonderfully, amazingly, _awesomely_ , the day had come! Callie and Marie had a few free days that lined up this week, and they offered to take a joint shift so the younger agents could relax. A free schedule to hang out with Agent 3 and Agent 8!

Four really liked Agent 8. They hadn’t spent much time together outside of work, which Eight took crazy seriously, but the Octoling girl was a pretty free-spirited and energetic type who always seemed to be down for whatever Four had in mind. She laughed at Four’s jokes, never missed an opportunity to try something new, and was so earnest and straightforward it was kind of embarrassing. Agent 4 could see straight through those big round eyes; girl was pure as the Albacore Hotel pool.

Three was more of an enigma. Four remembered when she had been recruited into the Splatoon, how Marie would sometimes mention the mysterious “Agent 3” who was out on survey missions or whatever with the Captain. When they’d finally met, she had been really surprised to find out that they were the same age. That surprise faded pretty quickly when Three opened her mouth, since she talked like a mom. The Inkling was dutiful and serious almost all the time, to the point that it kind of weirded Four out; she got exasperated really quickly whenever she had to talk Splatoon business with Three. That said, Agent 3 was really nice and considerate when it wouldn’t get in the way of work, and she’d managed to make Four laugh once or twice, so she couldn’t be all bad.

The news that they all had a day off together had thrilled Four. She’d pestered Three about it during the days leading up to it, even convincing Eight to join in, until the stoic Inkling had agreed to spend the day with them instead of at home as she usually did. The meetup was set for ten o’clock, at a smoothie stand near Inkopolis Square. Four had gone to bed early, kicking her feet idly on the mattress and smiling into her pillow at the thought.

But when she arrived at the meetup place - Agent 8 happily greeting her in a black-and-white cap and a shirt that said “COOL MACHINE”, Agent 3 wearing a plain oversized hoodie and giving her a wave from over the top of her phone - and sat down with her choice of smoothie, she realized after a few minutes of indulging in the delicious treat that none of them were talking to each other. Eight was regarding the surroundings with a modest smile and Three seemed absorbed in whatever she was doing on her phone. Four tried starting a conversation with Eight about any recent music trends she had been following, and the Octoling seemed all too happy to discuss the newest tracks from Saltwave and Marianas, but every so often Agent 4 would cast an inviting glance in Three’s direction that seemed to go completely over the Inkling’s head.

At a quarter to eleven, Agent 4 finally threw her hands up in the air.

“Come on!” she cried, frustrated. “This is our once-in-a-lifetime day off, guys! I thought we were gonna hang out!”

“I was thinking we _are_ hanging out?” Eight replied, confusion on her face.

“Well, yeah, _technically_. But we’re off work! Sitting and talking is what we do during break time in Octo Canyon!” Four persisted. She circled around the table, trying to get a glimpse at what Agent 3 was so engrossed in, only to have the long-haired girl withdraw her phone and gaze coolly up at Four.

“What is it, Agent 4?” she asked.

“That’s what it is!” Four answered, gesturing at Three. “Come _on_ , Three, let’s go somewhere! Let’s have a big hangout day! How am I gonna live with myself if my big day off with you guys is spent sitting around a table and chatting?”

“I am liking chatting to you, Four.”

“And I really appreciate it, Eight, you’re an absolute babe! But can we _please_ do something special on this special occasion?”

She gave Three what she hoped was a look of utter beseechment, or something. After a few moments, Agent 3 looked away towards the tabletop, and Four could see the gears turning in her head.

“Maybe Agent 4 is the correct.” Eight spoke up, placing her own fruity drink aside and looking towards Agent 3. “It is quite rare for us to be all in together. Perhaps we should be doing something that is without a chain?”

Four looked at the Octoling, Agent 8 translation software running in her brain. Next to her, Three chuckled, standing up and putting her phone in her pocket.

“Alright, you win.” the girl said. “How about Wahoo World? I’ve never been, and I bet that Eight hasn’t either. Is an amusement park ‘without a chain’ enough for you, Eight?”

“Boo-yes!” The Octoling replied with a grin, standing up as well.

Agent 3 turned towards Four, hand on her hip. “How about it, Four? Think you can be our guide?”

Four smiled brightly. “Shell yeah!” she exclaimed, nodding vigorously. “Leave it to me! You guys are gonna have so much fun your tentacles will fall off!”

Her smile lasted all the way to the gates of the amusement park, the other two agents following her swaggering footsteps. Agent 3 paid for the tickets (“Since you’re showing us around,” she had said) and the three of them were inside, welcomed into a land of colors, thrills and fun.

Agent 8’s mouth was open in wonder as they walked through the park, excitedly asking Four about each ride and stall they came across. Since it was her first time being in _any_ theme park, Four gave her the honor of choosing what ride they went on first.

“We should doing that!” the Octoling replied, pointing at the Raw Cuda rollercoaster which twisted and swerved all along and over the tops of the nearby buildings.

Agent 4 nodded, smiling. “Good choice.”

They passed their time in line with talks about the Turf War scene, a topic that Agent 3 ended up not having much to say about. While Four got on the turf as much as she was able and Eight had been steadily building her way up to ranked, Three admitted that she hadn’t participated in a Turf War in quite some time. Every so often she would turn on the TV and listen to the announcers discussing recent matches while she ate dinner, but her days off - and Three had by far the fewest days off between the three of them - were usually spent shopping for groceries, exercising, reading, or sleeping.

It surprised Four to hear that, though she guessed it made sense for Three. She knew that Agent 8 had been staying in Three’s place since the Inkling was out on the job so often, so she assumed that since Eight was doing Turf Wars, she’d take Three along whenever the two of them had a day off together. The Octoling uncharacteristically changed the subject when Four asked about it, and Three seemed equally unwilling to discuss it, so she filed away a mental note to investigate on her own time and returned to the topic of Turf Wars.

Helpfully, there was a pretty popular splattlefield inside the park limits, and when Four pointed it out, she learned that Eight had battled there several times recently, harboring a growing desire to ride the Raw Cuda which was visible from the turf. Her excitement, already brimming, rose to a fever pitch as they approached the front of the line, such that the Octoling was bouncing on her toes by the end, idly pumping her fists up and down. Things like this were why Agent 4 considered watching Eight to be one of her hobbies.

“Alright, now this is important.” Four said to Eight as the three of them boarded the coaster - two seats per row meant that Three boarded behind them, sliding into her seat without a word. “Whenever we go downhill, you gotta put your hands up and cheer.”

“Like at festival.” Agent 8 affirmed with a nod.

“More like this.” Four flung her arms into the air, wiggling her fingers as she grinned at Eight. “And give it a good ‘woo,’ alright?”

“Yes!”

The track took them skyward, elevating them above any of the surrounding buildings and giving them a clear view of the harbor, the nearby turf, and the rest of the park. Four took the opportunity to map a few must-visit attractions to her brain as they rose. After a twenty-second ascent, they crested the top of the first rise, and Four nudged Eight with a smile.

Then the coaster thundered downwards, and the two of them threw their hands into the air with a whoop. Her stomach doing flips, a feeling of weightlessness brought to a screeching halt as the track roared back upwards and along a bend, Four laughed at the sight of the naked amazement on Eight’s face. The Octoling was waving her arms furiously, her weird trumpeting laugh carried away by the wind.

Another downward plunge, and Four put her arms up again, loving the sensation of her fingers catching the breeze as they raced by. She glanced behind her, giving Three a big grin that faltered as she saw the expression on the girl’s face. Three’s arms were folded, eyes squinted against the wind, not even a trace of a smile on her face. The two Inklings exchanged glances, and Three’s eyebrow lifted at Four’s surprised expression. _What’s wrong?_ she seemed to be saying.

_This squid!_

Meanwhile, Eight’s jubilations lasted throughout the ride, oh so short though it was, and when they disembarked back at the station, the Octoling was all smiles.

“The rolling coaster was fresh!” she exclaimed, turning to Four. “Your advice was very much helping, Four! Can we go again?”

“In a bit, man.” Four replied, grinning. “There’s a ton of rides here, let’s sample all the flavors before we do any return visits.”

Eight nodded, glancing around the area in search of her next thrill, while Four looked over at Three. The Inkling was standing a few feet apart from them, one hand in her pocket and the other once again occupied by her phone. Feeling rankled, the yellow-headed Inkling sidled up to her senior agent.

“Hey Three.” she called softly.

“What is it, Four?” came the answer.

“Whatcha doing?”

“Aren’t we waiting for Eight to decide what to ride next?”

“You’re technically right, but you could pick something too.”

“Eight looks pretty excited, we should let her choose for a bit.”

It was difficult to keep the frustration out of her voice when she replied, “Are you _not_ excited to be here?”

Three glanced up from her phone, regarding Four with her usual neutral expression. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the approach of their Octoling coworker.

“We should riding that next!” Eight said, pointing in the direction of the Death Drop. Glancing at the proffered ride, Four grinned, grabbing Agent 3’s wrist and pulling her along.

“Good plan, Eight. Nothing like a big ol’ fall to spook some thrills into a squid’s heart!”

The group queued up for the Death Drop, which had a shorter line than the Raw Cuda. Once again Eight laughed and waved her hands in the air, tentacles flapping wildly in the wind. Once again Four looked to her left and saw Three gripping the handlebars, eyes directed towards the ground and a slight grimace on her face. As they left the ride, Four racked her brains trying to think of what they were doing wrong. This was such a rare chance! They were supposed to be having fun! Why did Three act like she didn’t want to be here? It was as if they had forced her into coming!

Determined, Four took the lead as they set off for the next attraction. The Whirling Sunfish, the Squidflinger, a haunted house, another rollercoaster - each one saw Four and Eight laughing together, great smiles on their faces, while Three followed along, saying little and smiling even less. Four soon found herself unable to enjoy the rides much either, constantly catching a glimpse of the other Inkling’s stoic expression out of the corner of her eye.

When they took a break for lunch, sitting down at an outdoor food court which looked over the Turf War field, Three offered to get their food for them, phone still in hand. Four grinned as she pointed out what she wanted from the menu, then sagged into her seat with her head in her hands once Three had turned away.

“What is mattering you, Four?” Eight asked, leaning over to pat the girl on the back. “Is the motion sickening? We have been very up and sideways today.”

“Nah, I’m fine, Eight.” the Inkling sighed, giving the Octoling an appreciative smile. “I’m just… I feel like Three isn’t enjoying herself. Feels bad.”

Eight blinked, glancing at their coworker, who was standing in line at the food stall. “I see nothing wrong.” she commented. “Agent 3 is paying for our tickets and coming along with us on big amusing adventure.”

“Yeah, but she looks so _bored!”_ Four cried, pushing her palms against her eyes. “She hasn’t smiled once since we got here, and when I ask her what she wants to do she just says ‘you decide’! I mean, doesn’t it feel like she’s just humoring us to you? She didn’t even want to come until I pressured her.”

She stopped, a gross feeling gnawing at her. “Did I pressure her?”

Eight pursed her lips, turning back towards Four. “Maybe I am not spending time much with other Inkling friends, but I have been inside Agent 3’s residence for a few months now.” she said. “Three is being very calm, most times. When I see her and we are spending time, she does not smile much, but she is talking to me and we are watching shows and a movie. If she is not wanting something, usually she says so.”

“But maybe she couldn’t say no because I made such a big deal out of our day off?”

The Octoling shrugged. “Maybe it is.” she replied, pulling Four’s hands away from her eyes with a smile. “I am not knowing how to read Three’s head. But I am having faith. Agent 3 is very strong, and I enjoy her company even if she does not smile.”

Four nodded, trying to push down the sickly feeling in her stomach. The long-haired girl soon returned with their food, placing the tray down and taking a seat by Four. The meal was quiet, with Four making a few attempts to engage Eight in conversation. The girl was enthusiastic in her answers, as if their conversation just now was forgotten, and Four slowly felt her spirits returning to her, grinning as Eight recounted how it felt to be slingshotted through the air by the Squidflinger.

The last “must-ride” attraction that Four had picked out before they started their second lap around the park was the ferris wheel, standing tall over the glittering waters of the harbor. Four led the way, explaining the concept of the ride to Eight.

“It’s not a ‘thrill ride’ like the Raw Cuda or the Death Drop.” she said. “It’s more for chilling out, like taking a breather and looking around, you know? Takes you up super high so you can see this whole part of Inkopolis, it’s a really nice view!”

She glanced back towards the Octoling, who was in the process of putting her phone back in her pocket. The girl nodded, giving her another smile. “I am excited for the cool heights.” she affirmed, swaying idly on her feet in response to Four’s questioning look.

When they arrived at the door to the ferris wheel, however, Eight lagged behind as Four trudged up the steps with Three in tow. The two of them boarded, and the short-haired girl turned to ask where Eight wanted to sit, only to be met by the door closing in her face. Their excitable companion gave her a smile from the other side, while Four looked through the glass at the Octoling, mouth agape. Then the car shook as it began its ascent, and Eight sank out of Four’s vision.

“Wait! Eight!”

Four pressed against the glass, looking down at Eight who waved while her figure grew smaller in the distance. Confused, the girl moved over towards the seat on the opposite side from Three, sitting down and giving an awkward glance to the other Inkling.

An uncomfortable silence passed between the two of them. Four tried to occupy herself by looking out the viewing glass, but she could hear the soft sounds of Three tapping on her phone, legs crossed on the other seat, and the sound wormed its way into her brain, preventing her from enjoying the sights.

“Four.” Agent 3 spoke suddenly.

Agent 4 looked over to her; Three was wearing a discomforted expression, her phone laying face-down on the seat beside her. Rubbing the back of her head, the Inkling lifted her eyes to meet Four’s. “Is something… bothering you?” she asked, the words sounding awkward coming out of her mouth.

Four blinked at her, sinking a bit into her seat. “Actually, yeah.” she replied. “This whole time I’ve felt like you’ve just kind of been going along with us, you know? Like you’re not actually having fun.”

“That wasn’t my intention,” Three began, but Four felt her earlier frustration catching up with her, and she continued.

“I mean, for cod’s sakes, you haven’t even cracked a smile since we got here! You don’t laugh, you don’t talk with us when we’re deciding where to go, you look totally bored and you’re always on your phone!” she said heatedly. “How am I supposed to think anything else, Three? Did I make you feel like you had to come along because it’s our day off? Don’t you want to be here?”

Three glanced down, and Four realized with a start that she was gripping the edges of the seat hard enough to make her hands turn white. Embarrassed, feeling her face growing red, Four put her hands in her lap and looked down at the floor.

This sucked. On top of everything else, now she was just snapping at Three. But really, wasn’t it a little unfair how the other Inkling was acting? As if this was just a walk down the street to her. Four was starting to feel like an idiot for trying to make today special for them. Days like today were really rare; why couldn’t they all have just been enjoying the park together? Sighing, she curled up her knees, wishing Three would freaking say something.

Three scratched her cheek, frowning, then gently picked up her phone and held it out to Four.

“Here.” she said simply.

Surprised, Four accepted the device, turning it over in her hand. The screen was open to a web page with the title, “Not Breaking the Mood”.

The previous page read “Top 10 Ways to Enjoy Wahoo World”. The one before that was “Must-See Inkopolis Sights”. Before that was “Best Ways to Enjoy a Day Off”.

“I haven’t been on a group trip in a few years.” Three admitted, her cheeks flushed. “And I’ve never really been the best at making fun suggestions either. With all the work I’ve been doing for the Splatoon, I’ve started thinking that maybe I’ve forgotten how to unwind, and today pretty much confirmed it for me. So I figured I’d let you handle the itinerary since you seem good at helping squids enjoy themselves, and I’d get some refreshers on how to have a good time. But I guess I have more trouble showing my enjoyment than I thought.”

She sighed, lightly kicking her feet. “Sorry I made you feel bad, Four. I’ve been having fun, really” she finished.

Hot tears welled up in Four’s eyes, blurring her view of Three as they rolled one by one down her cheeks. The girl raised a hand to her face, trying to stifle a growing urge to cry. At the sight, Three grimaced, sinking further into her seat. “That’s not good.” she said quietly.

The expression on the other agent’s face twisted Four’s heart into a knot, and she felt her lips trembling as she looked down at the floor. “I’m really sorry, Three.” she said, voice shaking. “I didn’t know how you were feeling, but I still suspected you, and complained about you to Eight.”

She wiped at her eyes, trying to keep her voice steady as she continued. “I just wanted us all to have fun together, and now I’m making a mess of our day off instead. I shouldn’t have…”

Four couldn’t find the right words that would ease the weight in her stomach. With a sob, she finally said, “I’m just sorry.”

A momentary pause passed between the two squids, followed by Agent 3 asking, “...do you need a hug?”

The yellow-headed girl glanced up from the floor, seeing her long-tendriled coworker awkwardly holding her arms out in front of her, an uncertain expression on her face. She flexed her fingers, beckoning to the teary-eyed Inkling. Four sniffled, then stood up and stepped gingerly over to Three, putting her arms around the squid and squeezing tightly.

Three lightly patted Four on the back, saying nothing, as the Inkling hiccuped into her chest. The soft feeling only made Four cry harder, shame and embarrassment leaking out of her with every tear and smothered whimper. She shouldn’t have thought so badly of Three; the other girl had always been nice to Four, even if she could be a hassle on the job. She should have had more faith in her, like Eight did.

Once the stream of tears had subsided, Three gently pried Four off of her, retrieving her phone from the floor as Four returned to her seat. The girl could hear Three tapping on her phone again.

“Hey,” Three began uncertainly, “what’s… your favorite song?”

Four looked up at her, confused, and the girl hurriedly added, “I’ll set my ringtone for you, so I know to pick up if you call me when I’m free. And want to hang out. Is that alright?”

“...Muck Warfare.” Four answered quietly.

“Oh, that’s by Off the Hook, isn’t it?” Three pressed on, typing into her phone. “I’m not too familiar with their music, but I’ve heard a few good ones.”

Four smiled as the other girl rattled on, seemingly determined to keep the conversation going as the ferris wheel turned. When they arrived back at the bottom, the girl stood up, a little bummed out that she hadn’t gotten to enjoy the view with Eight, only to be pushed back down into her seat as Eight jumped inside through the open doorway.

“I was talking with the operator and they are agreed to us having an extra ride.” the Octoling remarked, sitting down beside Four and glancing between the two Inklings. “You two are patched?”

In response to Four’s look of confusion, Three said, “Eight texted me while we were walking to the ferris wheel and said that you were feeling down.”

“You can calling me Double Agent Eight.” Eight said, puffing her chest up with pride. “It is a duty of agents to watch behind each other, yes?”

“And a duty of friends.” Four replied with a smile, elbowing the beaming Octoling. “Thanks, you cheeky little octopus.”

The ferris wheel restarted its ascent, and Eight was immediately glued to the window, fangs gleaming from the width of her grin as she took in the sight of Wahoo World below them. Four caught Three’s eyes, and the green-tendriled Inkling nodded in response. Four thought she could see the smallest hint of a smile on Three’s face.

She’d have to start looking a lot more closely if that was how Three smiled, to make sure she didn’t miss any.

Reclining as much as she could in the seat, Agent 4 listened to her Octoling friend gushing about the scenery, excitedly pulling at her arm so she could point out rides that they had been on earlier today. “We should riding it again!” the girl kept saying, and Four would assure her that they would. After all, she wanted all three of them to get the most out of this rare chance.

The three agents ran three laps through the amusement park, plus ten additional rides on the Raw Cuda, by the time Eight had gotten her fill. Four trudged out of the gates, groaning at the thought of the full-day patrol she’d been scheduled for the next day, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Agent 3 moved closer, displaying her phone screen to Four; the sequel to a pretty well-known horror movie was airing on TV in a few hours.

“If you don’t mind a bit of extra hanging out,” Three said, her voice stilted as she looked for the right words, “maybe the three of us could watch this?”

Her eyes were searching Four’s; it was a little funny, to see the normally stony Agent 3 so obviously trying to make sure this was a decent hang out idea. How could she possibly refuse?

“Shell yeah, let’s do it!” Four cheered, putting an arm around Three’s shoulders. “I gotta go get a change of clothes from home, though, since we might as well make a sleepover of it!”

“Why we are hugging?” Eight asked, putting her own arm around Agent 4 even as Three tried to wriggle her way free.

“Three invited us to movie night! We’re gonna be up all night, Eight!”

“Oh, that is a cherry on top of today’s cake!”

Eight released her in order to sidle over towards Agent 3, and Four looked at the two of them with a smile. Rollercoasters, amusement park food, making a total fool of herself in front of Three and then getting to know her better… today was great. Just an absolute blast.

She still trembled unpleasantly at the thought of patrol tomorrow, but when she remembered that she was partnered with Agent 3, Four decided that it might not hurt to try and bond a bit more with the aloof Inkling who always seemed so distant.

At the very least, she was looking forward to their next day off together.


End file.
